Lenses
by Mochilicious
Summary: History through the eyes of Lisa Yadomaru, from the very beginning of her existence. Featuring Lisa/Shunsui & Lisa/Shinji.
1. District 55

The sunlight was blinding, the air was warm and the weather was nothing short of amiable. Chirping birds flew about in the sky, tossed in with wisps of white clouds among the startlingly bright blue. The streets were lit up with nearly angelic light, and the dust had settled overnight, covering the uneven ground in fine sheets.

Western Rukongai, District 55.

Shabby wooden houses lined the sides of the road, the dwellings of people to whom Lisa Yadomaru would never truly belong. There often came happy sounds from inside them: sounds of laughter and sounds of interaction. Sometimes there were sounds of sadness, but after the sadness there was always comfort, all of which Lisa had never genuinely experienced before. But she was certain she had experienced the contempt that came from the people's fear: fear of the unknown and of anything greater than them. And then there was the loneliness and the separation. For the townspeople, it was the easiest way out; it was their default setting when it came to people like Lisa.

It started years ago. She used to be normal, but her time with normalcy was so brief that she didn't remember anything. She wasn't a little kid anymore. Once it started, it only got worse. People feared her; that was the best way to describe it. It was some aura that surrounded her and suffocated those around her. They didn't know what it was, but something about her made them uneasy, and they found that the simplest way to deal with that was to put it down and ignore it. Lisa heard their whispers, even when they weren't around.

"Did that girl talk to you again?"

"Yeah… well, she tried to, but I got away."

"Thank goodness."

"I know, scary stuff, right? What was her name again?"

"Lisa, I think. Too pretty a name for a creep like her."

"Yeah, just don't think about it anymore."

_This world was cruel. Human nature was cruel. And fate was the cruelest of all._

Alone in her sphere, Lisa ignored the complaints of her growling stomach and tucked her spindly legs into her chest. She curled up in the nook created by the joining of tree trunk and branch, turned past the first page of the dilapidated book balanced across her knees, and began to read about a better place, maybe one where she belonged, even though she knew they only existed in children's dreams. But she still was a child, so she held onto that hope a bit longer.

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Just a warning for future chapters, since most of Lisa's history isn't shown, I'm going to be taking liberties with a lot of stuff, even when the Vizards come into the picture.


	2. Ninety Degrees

As small and delicate as she was, Lisa knew how to fend for herself now, in this cruel world. Granted, there wasn't much to fend from; nobody dared to get too close to her, and anyone who did accidentally would end up flitting away as quickly as possible. Nobody dared to be alone with her. Even her family spoke to her from a ways off and distanced themselves from her whenever possible. After all, nobody wanted to be mentioned in the same sentence as a freak. They just watched from a distance, like visitors to a zoo.

No, nothing about the town or the people had actually changed, but Lisa had. The changes started small and subtle; even Lisa herself didn't notice at first. They started in her posture, her stride, in the way she squared her shoulders. Then they spread to her speech and sharpened her tongue. They manifested themselves in the clothes she wore and the pants and dresses she personally made and tailored to her liking. Finally, they wormed their way into and embedded themselves in Lisa's head, and she finally began to think that she was a somebody, that she was worth defending.

One could say that she was a bitter child, angry with the world around her and angry with the way she'd turned out. And honestly, Lisa had to admit, she was a bitter child, but she was also more than that. Yes, she was resentful of her family, and watched them with a bitter desire, but when she stared into a stream at the stony expression that constantly covered her childish features, she couldn't help but be proud of herself. She was satisfied with the way she was.

Lisa still heard the people talking now and then, but their words never bothered her anymore. Usually, she would quietly take her leave and retreat to her favorite tree, but sometimes, she liked to have some fun.

"I still see that Lisa girl around sometimes," came a female voice. Lisa lurked just around the corner, unnoticed. In her tiny hands, she clutched a thick book, one she had stolen from the marketplace. The girls speaking were older than her, but not by much.

Another voice responded. "Same. She still freaks me out." The voice dropped to a whisper. "I hear she's really a monster." They were voices of contempt. Lisa smirked and stepped out from her hiding spot. Although she was a child, she was taller now, and more confident if not more mature, with a bit more vivacity in her steps.

"Yeah, I hear she chases people down too, and she gets 'em when it's dark out." She flashed them a steely smile. That was all it took. The girls looked at her in horror for a split second, and then they were off like lightning. Lisa just laughed loudly. She was still young, but she picked things up here and there from other people, from bits of conversation she overheard on the streets: words, phrases, and even curses. She knew how to turn them back on the people who made her the way she was.


	3. Encouraging Thievery

Lisa only knew of the revered Shinigami through stories and hushed whispers. In her eleven years of life, she had never actually seen one. Sometimes she imagined she did; dark flashes through the trees, glints of metal here and there, but there was never anything concrete. Besides, she thought with assertion, a Shinigami of Seireitei would never reveal himself to a lowly Rukongai citizen like her.

Or so she thought.

Lisa met her first Shinigami when she was twelve, a relatively tall, thin, and stern girl who flitted about the streets, stealing and gathering what she could to live. It was on one of these mornings that she met the man. With the winter quickly approaching and her hand-me-down tunic being slowly reduced to a tattered cloth, Lisa took it upon herself to get some new clothes; she hoped to find some pants and a shirt to keep her reasonably warm.

So when Lisa came across a shop on the street corner selling cloths and new shirts, she knew she'd hit the jackpot. On top of all that, the storekeeper was an old man, stooped and nearly blind. As bad as she felt for taking advantage of his age, Lisa told herself that she was doing this for her own survival. The old man wouldn't miss a piece of cloth and she needed it more badly than he did.

The man was putting some money away in his drawers with his back to Lisa, who stood against the wall of the wooden stall. Licking her lips, she reached forward with skinny fingers toward the first shirt hanging on the hook. Almost…there! Small hands closed around scratchy but warm and comforting fabric as Lisa slid the shirt deftly from its hanger. Snickering silently to herself, she tucked the shirt under her arm and turned to go somewhere she could change her clothes.

"Halt!"

_Shit._ Stopping in mid-tiptoe, Lisa whipped her head around to see a black-robed man standing on the low rooftop of a nearby house, staring disapprovingly down at her, his already thin eyes narrowed. A katana hung from the sash around his waist and his golden hair hung neatly down about his shoulders. Lisa's eyes widened. This man, no doubt, was a Shinigami. Lisa barely had a moment to wonder what he was doing in a place like this before he took a step toward her.

Lisa was quick. She had years of practice from stealing, running, avoiding the people who hate her so much. So while her mind told her to stop because this man could mean danger, her instinct told her to run and get the hell out of there because she would not be giving up this shirt. And also just for the heck of the chase. Lisa, despite being a fairly perceptive girl, was also impulsive, so she followed her instinct, turned on her heel, and bolted like a fox in the opposite direction.

She could hear the surprised yell of the man behind her, but she didn't turn around, just continued running, hopping from rooftop to rooftop as the adrenaline rushed through her veins. "_Catch me if you can_," she whispered breathlessly, knowing full well that the man could catch her without even trying. Even now, she could hear his footsteps as he bounded along behind her.

Within moments, the Shinigami was a few yards behind her. "Oi! Girl, get back 'ere!" He lunged to grab her tunic, but Lisa, with an excited and frightened yelp, somersaulted off the rooftop out of his grasp. She dove under a table at which two men were sitting and drinking, and while she was small enough to fit perfectly underneath without disrupting their activities, the Shinigami crashed unceremoniously straight into the table. He apologized hastily to the flustered men before cursing and continuing the chase.

"Dammit!" Lisa could hear him behind her, and she risked a look backwards. He was right there. Drawing on the last of her energy—she was rather tired now—Lisa turned and put on a burst of speed, but unable to react fast enough, crashed face-first into a tree trunk. She promptly dropped to a heap on the ground as the man came to a stop behind her. She could've sworn he was stifling laughter.

"Well, well." His voice was drawling, mocking, but surprisingly lighthearted. "That was quite the chase, wasn't it?"

Lisa looked up, still in a daze, and gulped. The blond Shinigami was much taller, much more intimidating up close. "Uh…"

The man bent down and grabbed the shirt Lisa had clutched in her hand, brushing it off with a small smile. "Yer an interesting girl. What's yer name?"

"Yadoumaru…Lisa."

"Well then, Yadomaru Lisa. I have an offer for ya. You were able to keep up with a vice captain of the Gotei Thirteen, so I'd say ya got some potential." The man grinned down at her and crossed his arms. "Ya heard of the Shino Academy? The place where they train Shinigami?"

Lisa nodded slowly. Gears turned in her head as she began to piece things together. Maybe…was this man implying…? Her eyes widened.

"Good! Then ya ought to head over there next year and enroll yerself. Tell them that Hirako Shinji sent ya if they got any complaints, eh?" He patted her shoulder and dropped the shirt over her head before turning around.

Lisa picked the shirt off in disbelief. This man was just going to let her go? She had technically committed a crime, and he was letting her off. Hell, he didn't even tell the shopkeeper about her thievery. And on top of that, he was _praising_ her and tell her to become a Shinigami. _Well then._

"Don't go stealin' stuff too much, a'right? Oh, and also." He stopped. "Next time, look in front of ya when yer movin'. Runnin' into trees don't exactly work wonders for ya brain." And he disappeared with a vague wave of his hand.

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**A/N:** Three updates in a day! I'm tired now xD Oh, and this chapter marks the appearance of Shinji! Dundundun...I hope I got him somewhat in character! He's currently vice captain of I guess it would be Fifth Division. AU? Maybe, probably. But that's the point!


End file.
